New England Female Medical College (NEFMC), originally Boston Female Medical College, was founded in 1848 by

Samuel Gregory Dr. Samuel Gregory (April 19, 1813 – March 23, 1872) was the founder of the New England Female Medical College. Gregory was born in Guilford, Vermont, Guilford, Vt, Apr 19, 1813. He graduated from Yale College in 1840, and in 1853 received the h ...

and was the first school to train women in the field of medicine. It merged with

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...

to become the

Boston University School of Medicine The Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, formerly the Boston University School of Medicine, is one of the graduate schools of Boston University. Founded in 1848, the medical school was the first institution in the world ...

in 1874.

History

Prior to 1847 when

Elizabeth Blackwell Elizabeth Blackwell (3 February 182131 May 1910) was a British physician, notable as the first woman to receive a medical degree in the United States, and the first woman on the Medical Register of the General Medical Council for the United Ki ...

became the first woman to enroll in a United States medical school by entering the

Geneva Medical College Geneva Medical College was founded on September 15, 1834, in Geneva, New York, as a separate department (college) of Geneva College, currently known as Hobart and William Smith Colleges. In 1871, the medical school was transferred to Syracuse ...

, many women such as

Harriot Kezia Hunt Harriot Kezia Hunt (November 9, 1805January 2, 1875) was an early female physician and women's rights activist. She spoke at the first National Women's Rights Conventions, held in 1850 in Worcester, Massachusetts. Early life Hunt was born in ...

had served as family physicians, but women were denied attendance at medical lectures and examinations. Blackwell set a new standard for women everywhere, helping them gain entrance into the medical world by claiming that women had something unique to offer medicine that men could not.Tuchman, Arleen M. "Situating Gender: Marie E. Zakrzewska and the Place of Science in Women's Medical Education." ''Isis'' 95.1 (2004): 34-57. The American Medical Education Society, formed in Boston in 1848, was created exclusively to promote the medical education of women. After the name was changed to the Female Medical Education Society to more accurately reflect the fact that the focus was specifically on the education of women, the Society was incorporated and officially recognized by the

Massachusetts Legislature The Massachusetts General Court (formally styled the General Court of Massachusetts) is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the earliest days of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, w ...

on April 30, 1850."The Medical Education of Women." ''The British Medical Journal'' 2.624 (1872): 659. Print. The Society's first classes, offered under the name Boston Female Medical School, were held in the home of Boylston Medical School President Dr. Winslow Lewis.''Report of the Female Medical Education Society, From November, 1848, to December, 1850; Containing The Charter, Constitution, By-Laws, Names of Officers and Members, Together with Information Respecting the Boston Female Medical School and the Proposed Clinical Hospital, Which Is to Form a Part of the Institution.'' Boston: Wright & Husty Printers, 1851. pp. 3-16. The goal of the Female Medical Education Society was to establish a medical school in Boston, complete with its own teaching hospital, to teach women midwifery and nursing with the expectation that they would treat women and children. By 1852, this school was called the New England Female Medical College. Even in a time of gender prejudice, the foundation of the College was accepted by many as it "provided women with a socially sanctioned position in a feminized occupation."Gardner, Martha N. ''Midwife, Doctor, or Doctress?: The New England Female Medical College and Women's Place in Nineteenth-Century Medicine and Society''. Diss. Brandeis U, 2002. Ann Arbor, MI: UMI Microform, 2002. Print. In 1851, the Female Medical Education Society discussed a merger with the Female Medical College of Pennsylvania (later the

Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania The Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania (WMCP) was founded in 1850, and was the second medical institution in the world established to train women in medicine to earn the M.D. degree. The New England Female Medical College had been established ...

), and briefly shared faculty with the other school. The two schools also shared a debate over which could rightfully claim to be "the first" women's medical school: the WMCP received its formal charter a month before the NEFMC, but did not begin instruction until 1850, while the NEFMC was offering regular classes beginning in late 1848. Dated from the beginning of instruction, the NEFMC is widely recognized today as the first institution in the United States to offer medical education exclusively to women.Waite, Frederick Clayton. ''History of the New England Female Medical College, 1848-1874''. Boston: Boston U School of Medicine, 1950. p.132. On May 27, 1857, by an act of the

Commonwealth of Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

, the Female Medical Education Society was formally reorganized as the New England Female Medical College, with the board members of the Society now serving as Trustees of the College. In 1870 the New England Female Medical College building was dedicated on a lot between East Concord and Stoughton Streets, giving the school its own home after 22 years of existence. However, the school faced growing financial constraints, and after 26 years, having granted medical degrees to 98 women, the New England Female Medical College merged with Boston University to become the co-educational

in 1874.

Foundation

The main motivation for the school’s foundation was the belief that male physicians should not generally assist in childbirth. Founder

saw what he called "man-midwifery" as unnatural and improper and believed that women should be given formal medical education in order to become certified midwives and attend to their own sex. Gregory argued that the U.S. was the only country in the world where women were dependent on men for aid in childbirth and that male midwives caused unnecessary embarrassment to women.Gregory, Samuel. ''Letter to Ladies in Favor of Female Physicians for Their Own Sex''. 3rd ed. Boston: The College, 1856. pp. 4–50. He advocated for midwifery to become a feminine occupation exclusively in the hands of women. At the time, there was increasing support for the idea that, by dividing medical labors between the sexes (particularly giving women the role in childbirth), different departments could be more efficient and effective. Gregory argued that midwifery was a simple, mechanical routine that was acceptable for women, but beneath male physicians, and that men should be happy to hand it off to women and dedicate their time to other medical fields where they would be able to employ their full mental capacity. Additionally, Gregory believed that females would be more likely to avoid using drugs and medical instruments during childbirth, and instead allow for nature to run its course while comforting patients, which he thought would lead to fewer fatalities during childbirth. Although it was seen as controversial, Gregory drew support for the establishment of the first female medical college with the help of

Lemuel Shattuck Lemuel Shattuck (15 October 1793, Ashby, Massachusetts – 17 January 1859, Boston, Massachusetts) was a Boston politician, historian, bookseller and publisher. Biography He taught at Troy and Albany, NY and from 1818 to 1821 at the frontier ou ...

and

Harriet Beecher Stowe Harriet Elisabeth Beecher Stowe (; June 14, 1811 – July 1, 1896) was an American author and abolitionist. She came from the religious Beecher family and became best known for her novel ''Uncle Tom's Cabin'' (1852), which depicts the harsh ...

, the Female Medical Education Society, which wanted to provide education for women to become midwives, nurses and physicians, and the public belief that women were well adapted for being midwives as a result of their feminine nature.

Students

The first term of classes began on November 1, 1848 with a class of twelve students from across New England, New York and Ohio enrolled at Boston Female Medical College. By 1852, the college had changed its name to the New England Female Medical College in the annual reports published by the Female Medical Education Society. On November 9, 1859 the Ladies' Medical Academy with a free clinic was established in connection with the school on Summer Street in Boston. The institution's goals were the education of interested women in medical subjects, nursing practices, midwifery, and the training of female physicians. The Ladies' Medical Academy awarded the Doctor of Medicine degree to four women in 1860, and two Diplomas in Midwifery were granted. There were some forty students in all by 1861. The Ladies Medical Academy appears to have been absorbed by New England Female Medical College shortly after its founding. Throughout its 27 years, over 300 women attended classes and 98 women received doctoral degrees, with fewer than five students graduating each year, on average. Basic graduation requirements consisted of previous medical study, two years of attendance at NEFMC, a final thesis, and passing a final exam. The majority of the school’s budget was provided by charitable contributions allowing for many students to be given the opportunity to study there through the Massachusetts State Scholarship Fund. All women applicants with proper preliminary educations were able to apply for scholarships to the college. Without a scholarship, starting tuition was $25 per term with room and board costs of $2 per week. A list of 98 graduates of the school was published in 1905 by Harvey King.

Notable alumni

* Dr. Rebecca Davis Lee Crumpler graduated from the New England Female Medical College in 1864 and was the first African American woman to earn a medical degree. * Dr. Mary Harris Thompson graduated in 1863 and went on to establish the

Chicago Hospital for Women and Children Chicago Hospital for Women and Children, renamed Mary Thompson Hospital after its founder's death in 1895, was established in 1865 and provided medical care to indigent women and children as well as clinical training to women doctors. It was founde ...

. * Dr Esther Hill Hawks graduated in 1857.Esther Hill Hawks
/ref> * Dr. Lucy W. Abell began study in 1857 and was one of the first homeopathic doctors in Massachusetts.

Faculty

From its start in 1848 until the mid-1850s, there were two faculty members whose lesson plans focused mainly on midwifery. In later years, both the curriculum and teaching staff grew, with five to seven faculty members providing a full medical education to students comparable to that of other medical schools of the time. One of the most notable faculty members was Dr. Maria Zakrzewska who believed that young women should pursue a medical degree because of “an innate interest and talent for practicing medicine as well as the love for the science of it,” not just because of their empathy towards women and children.

Failure

Many, including some faculty members, saw NEFMC as inadequate and inferior to medical schools for male students.Walsh, Mary R. "Sympathy and Science: Women Physicians in American Medicine." ''The American Historical Review'' 91.3 (1986): 748. The most prominent example of this was Gregory’s opinion that scientific instruments offered little to doctors whose job is to treat a sick individual, while others, including Zakrzewska, saw these instruments as a way to study diseases and view medicine in a scientific context. Zakrzewska left the college because she disagreed with Gregory’s beliefs and called him and the rest of the faculty “quacks” for being too focused on curing diseases and instead teaching students the scientific foundations of medicine.